President Obama is getting flack from Republicans over comments he made on The Daily Show about the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack. Screen shot

October 19, 2012

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The video: Conservatives erupted in outrage over President Obama's latest comments on the deadly Benghazi attack, made on The Daily Show to host Jon Stewart. Stewart pressed Obama on the assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans on Sept. 11, asking whether the government's investigation would address the administration's early, confusing accounts of what happened. "Even you would admit, it was not the optimal response, at least to the American people, as far as all of us being on the same page," Stewart said. Obama replied: "When four Americans get killed, it's not optimal. We're going to fix it. All of it." See the video below.

The reaction: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Obama's 2008 rival, called the remark "just so inappropriate. And I'm sure that the families of those brave Americans are not amused." Yes, "not optimal??? Just what number of killed Americans would be optimal, Mr. President?" says Steven Hayward at Power Line. "And people wonder why Obama is considered aloof and bloodless." Hold on, says Allahpundit at Hot Air. Obama has "been known to use dry, off-putting minimizing euphemisms," but in this case "it was Stewart who introduced the word 'optimal.'" It "reads to me like Obama's mirroring his language for effect, precisely because the word’s not equal to the task of describing what happened." Exactly, says Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog. Someone used a word in a question and Obama included it in his reply. "This is how ordinary human speech works." Predictably and lamely, Mitt Romney and his right-wing buddies will now indulge in "fake theatrical outrage" in their relentless effort to paint Obama as an "America-trashing Antichrist who hates freedom." Pathetic. Take a look at the exchange for yourself: